No Parent Should Have To Bury Their Child: Rewritten
by masamune11
Summary: Poseidon always thought that it was sort of ironic. To think that Athena would go as far as begging him with Aqua Drops, and also the fact that his cherished person was standing right there, without he realized. Surely, the Fates enjoyed toying with him. [Taken from Dragon Ryuhou's storyline in Saint Seiya Omega: Ultimate Cosmo. Alternate Ending. Now in English!]


When humanity started abandoning the gods, Poseidon did not stay quiet.

Many good things—nobility and respect, most of all—had begun disappearing from the world due to the humans' desire and greed. The ruin started by the end of the heroic days—the time when all means of communication between humans and the gods were shattered. It was the time when the gods deemed humans so corrupted that they do not deserve any pity nor faith. However, no matter how bleak is the nature of humanity, one goddess believed that there was still hope. The goddess, Athena, took charge and eventually became the symbol of hope for humanity.

It was also the time when Zeus decided to hand over his delegation over human to Athena, the goddess of war and strategy. Hades, his brother, was completely against the decision, claiming that humanity should serve under his rule instead of soiling the land. He had a valid point; being an underworld lord, his existence has meaning for the humanity itself, as no man can escape death and rebirth cycle, of which was Hades' sovereignty. However, Poseidon knew that his brother did this not for the sake of disciplining his subjects, but for increasing his influence to further his ambition; the greater his subject's awareness about his power, the stronger he became—strong enough to overthrow the other gods. Already he was strong enough without the human's consciousness over death—the apparition of the god itself before the mortals would make said god stronger.

Poseidon wouldn't lie. His own motive was very similar to that of his brother's, though not in everything. While his brother's cause is only to remind the mortals of those days when the gods watch over the land, Poseidon's was to save his own people who have devoted their lives on earth. Unlike his brothers whose people belonged to their respective realms, his people belonged to earth; their lives were about the vast seas, still in the realm where humanity resided—and destroy. Should humanity forget about their existences, his people would not be able to bear the loss. For humans, who have explored the seas and became less believing, Poseidon's realm was no more than a conquered world.

When the temple of the gods are left and prayers abandoned, the gods' presence in men's mind diminished, along with their power and the presence of their creatures. No matter how hard the sea god tried to impose his dominion over the earth, to exercise his presence, humanity kept on looking down at him. His power was deteriorating; his people were chased away for shores, pushed to live eternally in the sea, and then forgotten. Once mighty people of the seas were reduced to myths and legends, along with Poseidon's power and influence over the land.

Before it was too late, Poseidon sealed most of his servants' essence in another form, so that they may serve him for thousands of years forward; such fate was better than to fade without leaving a legacy. He turned them into what would be known as Scales. They were named based on their races, or a famous figure from their group; seven of them were granted higher position than the others for their past loyalty and contributions. Alas, even if they were forgotten, the people of the sea lived in the memory of those scales.

Yet, even with his effort, Poseidon himself made a great error. Unknown to him, even his son, Triton, the prince of the sea, was suffering the same side-effect as his people. Even if he was the godly son of Poseidon himself, he basked his existence under his father's grace. With his father's weakening, there was no stopping for his ruin. Before the sea king could transform his own son into Atlantean relic, Triton vanished, leaving only shards of his existences and memories. Poseidon grew more spiteful, as he believed that it was humanity who caused the ruination of his own son.

His hatred towards humanity grew unstoppable.

* * *

He didn't remember how much time had passed since his last eventful war. Perhaps it was hundred years ago.

His main purpose to wage war was to reclaim the world which belonged to his people, because they were not supposed to be left forgotten by humanity. It was the reason why he challenged Athena, the deity who defended humanity and was his own niece. It might seem foolish, considering that he had an option to bring peace instead of chaos. His supposed steps after winning the war was to obliterate humanity itself, for it was better to wipe out the unbelievers than having a single mortal to doubt them, then drown the land so that his people may roam freely. It was for such purpose that he raised his banner high, and ordered his general to beat the drums of war.

Yet Athena stood before him, claiming that the world need no purging. He remembered his niece, adorned with her god armor and equipped with both her Nike and Aegis, boldly challenged him on a one-on-one battle. He also remembered how fear had successfully griped his soldiers amidst the war, clawing inside their existence, and how her army marched to defend their kin. That day, his loyal subjects failed to fulfill the will of their lord.

He remembered how his niece glanced at him with pity, which was soon replaced by determination. When her staff, Nike, took the life of his vessel mercilessly, the god could hear her silent weeping.

"Humanity could still be saved and forgiven, uncle..."

Even as his host's consciousness slowly faded away, he could still hear the never-ending sound of war; his people were already losing, and Athena's servants would not spare them. His hatred grew, and his reply was faint in the wind, amplified by his own solemly-muted cosmo.

"Humanity can never be forgiven for what they have done to us, Athena."

* * *

Athena, or rather Saori Kido, sometimes dreamt about her past lives as the goddess of war—the times when her knights were more merciless towards their enemies than she had ever known. To compare their grief and situation with that of her own saints... she could easily said that there were better times during this life.

It was in the dead of the night, right after she declared war against Mars, that she dreamt of sealing Poseidon during one of the holy wars. She knew that the world could bask in the following years of peace after his sealing, at the cost of one human who would not abandon his guardian deity despite being part of humanity. The human, whose blood soaked her Nike, went as far as lending his body to the sea king, in order to challenge the goddess.

If one thing was clear, killing one human for the sake of world peace upset her the most. But she was humanity's guardian; it was better than to lose an army, wasn't it? Even goddess was spared from such sins, wasn't she? Gods and goddesses, after all, could not be judged by mortals.

And for that sole reason as well, it was right to sacrifice what was left... for the great of many.

"Why..." she lamented as she took hold the figure of her mortal enemies, dead in her embrace, "you are one of our kind. You... are not Atlantean. Shouldn't you be fighting for your own kin?"

The dead did not speak. The only thing that could be heard were the cheerings of her saints after they successfully won the war. Yet, even in the face of mortal sacrifice, she could not fathom why she, a goddess, could not even save one single life of a mortal. She was supposed to protect the inhabitants of earth, just like his father before her. Did this make her a failure?

But she, as the goddess of war and wisdom, also knew that war demanded sacrifices.

* * *

The Mariners—Poseidon's army—were obliterated. Her remaining saints slowly drifted towards the gentle and caring cosmo of their only goddess. As clear as the blue sky, they could sense her lamentation and her prayer towards the person who had been destined as her enemy. It was in those stagnant moments that she could feel the corpse became lighter, as though another great will was at work. Oceanic cosmo quickly whirled slowly around that man, but Athena kept on holding to the corpse, even as her saints demanded her to step back.

It was not Poseidon. Poseidon's cosmo contained rage worth a thousand battle. This cosmo was fierce, but it was not hateful.

She remembered her visit to the sea palace once, and it was then she noticed that the sea was always about fierceness. it was then she met him—the other sea god who always stood by the sea king; Loyal, hard-headed, just like his father.

"...Triton...?"

It was only a single name, and the bluish cosmo was repelled. On the corpse, she could see seven pieces of beautiful aquamarines; ethereal artifacts which did not belong to the mortal world. They were the legacies of the sea; their war loot. The cosmo which brimmed from those items made her understood of the event that had just transpired.

And at that exact moment, Saori Kido opened her eyes as realization dawned on her. She knew what to do.

* * *

Poseidon never thought that Athena would face him, or even went so far as bribing him so that he could agree with her terms. The goddess, who had stood against him after so many battles, begged him to help her 'train' her young saints; her warriors, who could be the death of his remaining people just like in the olden days. If not for the legendary items in her hand, Poseidon would have sent her away.

"...very well, I will accept your terms, Athena," he spoke, but he did not stop at that; the sea god then pointed his trident menacingly towards the goddess, which led to her guardian's wary steps to defend his goddess. Even so, Saori ordered her Sagittarius knight to stand down—of which he did. She waited, steeling herself as she gestured the sea god to explain. "Remember this: I will treat them fairly. If they were to fail, then I will reclaim the earth as ours and defend against Mars' campaign, should it be destined by the Fates."

Contrary to his expectation, the goddess gave him a serene smile of acceptance. The term would be safeguarded, she mouthed. The goddess also silently mouthed something else that made him stood still on his place.

_'I hope you find him, that dear person of yours, in this vast world...'_

As he watched his niece walked away, his gaze slowly turned to his own hand, holding unto seven stones of power. His prized possession—the legacy which was left behind by Atlanteans—which might have been more valuable than the seven scales itself. For Poseidon, these stones symbolize power that was not his own—the power of his own child, entrusted to him when the age of the gods ended.

At the center of his problem were the stones; Athena might have returned him these items, and yet only he knew that the power which had preserved the cosmo of his child dwindled after each passing age. Athena had given him the means to return Triton, for another part of himself yearned to rule the world with his child—for a better world.

And yet, he was still indebted to Athena...

"...you will not simply disappear, Triton," he whispered as his gingerly grasped the seven aquamarines in his right hand, "I will see to it that you could fight alongside me, once more."

_Your end will be glorified._

* * *

The one who had come to him first was not the god-slayer Pegasus, but a young man who wore a very familiar cloth. He could see the semblance between this young man and the person whom he encountered before in his past awakening. What ticked him the most, however, was how his instinct tried to grasp the elusive sense of familiarity beyond that of a single saint. Was it because this young man possessed water attribute? No, it was something more significant than resonance of similar power.

"Once, I have known a person resembling yourself," he curtly started. His eyes scanned the figure attentively.

"The Dragon Saint whom you fought against in the past is my father."

While his response answered one of his questions, it did not explain the strong familiar feeling of power and pride. It was as though the person before him represented something more than just his enemy's child. "...Is that so? Then that explains it. However, your cosmo has not been refined, yet. In this current state, you cannot even stand at par with your own father."

The young man seemed silent for moment, thinking of a valid response before speaking his thought, "...what you said is true. My cosmo can not even stand at par with my father's. Even so, I will have to defeat you, for the sake of world peace."

The sea god was becoming more annoyed at such disdained point of view; he had heard it for hundreds of years and got bored with it every time his niece babbled to him about the matter. Why couldn't his niece understand that the so-called peace was nothing more than an illusion? "Ridiculous. You cannot even fight me with such weak cosmo."

_Do you want to compare such a weak splash with the power of sea waves?_

"If you want to fight against me, you will have to refine your cosmo even further," Poseidon continued his words calmly. As the boy before him went surprised by his remark, the familiarity grew stronger, as though he knew that Dragon Ryuhou should not be just a saint; he should be greater than a man.

He shook his head, realizing that he had stopped for a while. A god such as he must not show bewilderment. "If you could gather all seven Aqua Drops, I would accept your challenge," he declared, before turning his back on the young saint. Surely, he knew that the god had spared enough time for a green saint such as him? "Obtain all of them without fail, then head to the Northern Temple."

He did not even give any chance for the young saint to retort by quickly withdrawing from the hall of his mansion after entrusting the matters to his assistant. His mind raced, raking any informations which resembled the familiarity that he felt whenever he saw the young man. Was it in the memories of his previous incarnations? Or was it before humanity was brought to this world?

The sea emperor glanced at the young saint for the final time, before setting for his own personal chamber. He doubted that Ryuhou had the answers to his own question.

* * *

After encountering the sea emperor himself, at least the young dragon saint knew one thing: Poseidon was doing all of this not for the sake of Athena, but for his own sake, because the goddess offered terms that could put him in advantageous position as well. If all of them failed to stop Poseidon, the sea god would wipe them out, take control over lives on earth... and embarked to fight Mars. Alone.

It was funny that part of himself wanted to scream about how foolish such plan was. Poseidon wanting to fight Mars? With what kind of army, he wondered.

_It would be suicide._

The only thing that he could do was to search high and low for the Aqua Drops which were scattered around Thalassa Island. Through fierce battles against friends (Kouga and Haruto) and frustrations (he did encounter the person who had the nerve to steal Libra Cloth), he finally attained every Aqua Drop. And yet, every time those stones glimmered before his eyes, the thought—a personal thought that he was not sure that it was his own—about how stupid Poseidon was with his plan, replayed again and again.

When Sorrento handed him the last piece of the puzzle, he was no longer wielding the Dragon Cloth.

It was during the same moment that truth dawned on him, crashing like the sea waves upon the shores. Everything about Sorrento's explanation suddenly made sense: about the very fact that the scales—his scales—was tempered with Poseidon's cosmo. The scales obeyed to the god's will, thus Poseidon wills it to the strongest of them all. The scale itself agreed to his lord's terms—yet it was still given the preference to choose. Perhaps Ryuhou was given the chance to don this scale because of his water attribution, not just his strength—or it was simply fate.

It sounded so simple, and yet, Ryuhou's feet never moved as his mind suddenly saw the forgotten memories which were not his; memories which should not belong to a mortal, and yet he could see it. Amongst all them were filled with feelings and... unbreakable connections that had spanned from one era to another. In each memory, he died and felt the fear of the unknown overwhelmed him. But then, his live would advance once more, repeating the same circle until his lost fear lost meaning.

"Go, Ryuhou. Lord Poseidon is waiting for you."

When he faced the Siren once more, he wanted to scream that he missed him. He wanted to say that he missed the sea, the inhabitants that live inside it, but he knew if he did so, it would be betraying his own identity as the Dragon Saint.

And yet, he still wanted to believe that Siren Sorrento noticed—that it was not just the Dragon Saint who stood across him.

"Thank you, Sorrento."

He wanted Siren to know that the other lord of the seas still exist—and he planned to come back to the person who had nurtured him since the mythological era.

* * *

The familiarity that Poseidon felt as the other's cosmo bursted and rested grew. When he guarded against the feeble fist with his own power, a scenery of his past would flash. Most of them would be about his war against Athena, and then about the persons that had supported him ever since the mythological era. He would spot the presence of his child not far from where he stood. At the same time, he would be facing the mortal who inhabited his son's godly soul.

It was during that moment that he let his guard down, something which should be impossible for a god of his caliber. But then again, he could manifest in this world by the help of his mortal host, thus, limiting his godly prowess. In a short moment of an opening, Ryuhou closed in, striking his hand which was holding his own trident, which caused the object of his power to fall with a 'clang'. His other hand advanced, straight to Poseidon's neck, unabashedly threatening the god of the seas.

He could feel Ryuhou's cosmo burning brighter than the first time he met him. To think that in such a short time, a splash of water had turned into a raging wave—strong enough for him to turn and pay attention... and to think that his cosmo reminded him of one of his most cherished entity who devoted his life to the emperor.

He remembered Triton, the other god of seas and his godly son, who went as far as his father to help him by possessing another mortal, so that both could take the war to their enemies, together.

The young man's cosmo before him reminded the god so much that he was late in realizing that the showdown was over.

"Impressive, Ryuhou," he spoke as his hand slowly reached out for Ryuhou's, as though commanding him to lower his stance. Even if Ryuhou resisted, it would be easy for him to overthrow their current situation; Poseidon was, after all, holding back his power as a god. The young man himself knew this, so he was not against it.

Or were there any other reasons why Ryuhou decided to yield?

The sea god sighed, lifting his hand to summon his symbol of power once again. He then glanced at the young man, his gaze, which was hard before, softened, recognizing the truth that had dawned on him when their cosmo clashed. If anything, he never expected things to turn out this way.

"No, you're not just the Dragon Saint," he breathed, somehow feeling his voice almost failed him, "Come, Triton, my son... let me have a good look at you..."

He did not know what kind of magic was at work, but Ryuhou knew one thing: the missing feeling that had been eating him from the inside ever since he donned the sea god's legacy was the emotion that drove him to go forward. Before he knew it, he was already hugging the Poseidon's form, who gladly received it; neither of them did not seem willing to let go.

The Aqua Drops were made of parts of his son's broken soul, though it was not complete. No matter how tough they were, a godly soul would eventually chip the item away. It would be around this era that the broken parts of his soul would disappear into nothingness, along with his precious Aqua Drops.

But they seemed to find its way to the remaining broken pieces, for a godly essence always had the chance to reincarnate in a human.

"...Lord Father... I am sorry to make you wait for so long..." Ryuhou, or rather the Triton who possessed the young saint, breathed out; his voice was filled with longing. Poseidon was startled at the response that he gained and softened his gaze. His mind wandered to the olden days, when they were still together as a family—the time when gods took charge of the world.

The sea god slowly pushed Ryuhou away as he tried to capture his son's gaze. Viridian met with azure, and the divine cosmo which emanated from the young man itself was already a sign of Triton's awakening. He could see a content smile gracing Ryuhou's lips—a smile that was not mortal. Poseidon reached for his face—part of him still disbelieving the fact that this could happen.

Ryuhou was Triton, just like how Julian was Poseidon.

"You have tried your best to come back to me," the sea emperor spoke as he caressed his face, "there is nothing more joyful than your return, and yet... this might be the last time."

Even if the sea god tried to hide his broken voice, Ryuhou could sense it, subtle as it was. The younger god eventually gazed at his own father, and then spoke, "Lord Father, know that my journey was not without meaning. I have seen many things through my hardships, though the experience might stay as a lingering dream. I have witnessed how humanity tried to destroy and rebuild itself."

Triton stopped as he breathed in, letting out a smile and continued, "They—and this boy—was filled with potential beyond our knowledge, Father."

Poseidon scowled; his grasp on his own trident tightened. How far had the mortal way tainted his son? "They ceased to believe in our people and stole you away from me. After so many sins that they have committed, do you believe that they have repent?" the sea emperor snorted at the mere thought of forgiving the mortals. If anything, they should face retribution. "No. Lowly beings such as them deserve judgement!"

At Poseidon's statement, the sea prince turned silent. Every lingering thought that he had experience in the past—his past lives as a human—when he observed within the consciousness of his mortal host reconciled; Triton wanted to overturn his father's view with what he had learnt from humanity... and Athena. Why couldn't his father be less stubborn?

Did he forget that their meeting here could only happen because of two mortals?

"Father," the young saint started again as his hand reached his own chest, where the core of his scale resided, "if not for this mortal, I would not be able to return to you like this... for the last time. This human is a mortal who pledge loyalty to Athena herself... and he still tolerates my intention, even after knowing that a god resided inside him all along. A child of Athena's enemy, nonetheless..." His hand clenched, "I owe him, father."

"One human would not change my view on their race, Triton."

"You have forgotten about the Solo family which had devoted their lives to you and guarded the sea that you cherished..."

Ryuhou took the chance to press forward as he noticed how Poseidon had turned quiet due to his argument. "Not all mortals are as bad as you deem, father..."

The sea prince could even see that his lord was going to counter his argument with examples the pasts: about Greece and Troys, or perhaps about the woman named Pandora who unsealed evil from its respective bound. So the younger god quickly took a preemptive gesture and grip the hand that was griping Poseidon's trident.

He could see Poseidon's strained gaze; Triton knew it was not because of their argument. His own destruction was overshadowing his presence—and he knew that there was nothing that his father could do to stop his ruination.

As though the other could read the direction of this conversation, Poseidon's eyes hardened as he spoke, "don't give in. I could prolong your time by giving you another host. I would search for a way to mend your power, even in this desisting human world."

But he flinched subtly as his own child shook his head. The smile on his lips was a subtle reminder that he had come to terms with his own destruction, even if the cause was humanity's ignorance itself.

"It is... too late," he whispered as the younger god, still possessing Ryuhou, lowered his head. "They have lost their faith... many have ceased to believe... what lies before me is destruction itself..."

Alarmingly, Ryuhou lost his own balance; his grip lessened, and Ryuhou eventually fell towards the sea emperor who quickly caught his son. This was the first time that he displayed his fear, for another entity who had been with him since the mythological era would soon vanish... just like his wive and thousands of his subjects.

Poseidon would not accept such end to his own son. If the sea prince were to meet his end, he would make it in the battlefield, like a warrior should. As he wished so.

"...No. It is not too late. Not now."

In this dire moment, Poseidon knew that his choice was limited: to let him vanish or to force-sleep the soul inside the body, until he could find a way to restore the broken pieces that resided in Triton's scale.

As the god of seas bursted his oceanic cosmo once more, he slowly reached for Ryuhou's forehead, seeping his power inside the mortal to do what he commanded: to disperse what was left of Triton's consciousness in the mortal's soul. Ryuhou yelped silently as the godly power coursed through his own being. Triton was no more—or at least, the godly soul would not resurface to his own awareness for a long time.

And then, everything stopped.

Poseidon withdrew his hand as he watched the unconscious form of the Dragon saint dejectedly. Through his power, he had turned a saint of Athena into one of his own mariners... no, if anything, Ryuhou had been the person who must host his own son. To think that he had to do what he must, even at the cost of his son's sense of being, made him churned.

As their time waned, the sea god eventually embraced the pale body as he tried to contain his own regret and hate; the sea, after all, reflected his emotion. His hand slowly reached for the core of the scale and, as quick as it was donned, the triton scale reverted back into a rectangular aquamarine gemstone, leaving the dragon saint with his own cloth. As Poseidon momentarily grasped the stone which held Triton's power, he clenched his teeth and tightened his grip, crushing the stone of power. Fragments of godly power fell upon the cloth, imbuing the new container with its own power. The core of Dragon cloth gleamed, turning the stone into a more vibrant turquoise.

It was the only way, even if he had to use Athena's weapon to save his own son.

What was left for him then... is to sleep once more, as he promised his own niece.

"Dragon... no, Ryuhou," he whispered, "I have never asked anyone of this, not even to my own brothers, but please," he paused, realizing how desperate he might be, "I entrusted my son to you."

_'In a sense, you are him... as well as he is you.'_

"May he lend you power when the time to face Mars arrive."

_'Take care of him and yourself. Both of you are Atlantis' cherished treasure. Prove it to me that I am wrong—that humanity could even keep my son safe, until his time of glory.'_

* * *

Sometimes, Ryuhou always thought that there were forgotten things which he needed to remember, but he could not tell what. He believed that it has something to do with the lingering dreams of meeting with a certain overwhelming presence, his bronze friends, and artifacts named Aqua Drops. He also believed that his friends were also related, somehow, yet they stated as to never heard of them before, nor have the experience to go to an island far, far away.

The overwhelming presence itself was so majestic that he believed he was in the presence of a god.

Every time he mentioned it, his friends would give him an odd look and tell him that it never happened (all the battles that they had to endure in order to attain the prize). Were they wrong? Was he the one hallucinating? But he did remember of being at peace, with an understanding person embracing his form... and felt that presence tortured as well cared for him—like a father to his son. There was also the lingering feeling that always kept him questioning himself; an identity which should not bear its fang, nor be sought no matter what happened.

The nagging sense of detachment that he was no longer a saint, because when he thought about Athena as the protector of humanity, his thought and feeling leaned away from love and loyalty to mutual respect. Yet, he should not be thinking her as though they were equal. There was a definite gap between mortal and god.

As he glanced at the temples which was obstructing their way towards Mars' castle, Ryuhou steeled himself for the battles which was yet to come. The 12 black stones, hovering at the topmost of the structure sent them an unknown forlorn warning.

The first temple was already within their reach; its guardian had been waiting.

The world waited for them to save.

**[END(?)]**

**Author's Note:** ...Um, hi? At last, I have translated (and rewritten, I daresay!) the Bahasa version of this fic. You could easily see between the lines how ver biased I am towards Julian and Ryuhou, right? The idea to have Ryuhou as a host for a certain god itself is not original. I just want another bronze to host a god, just like Shun did during Hades' chapter. In Ultimate Cosmo, the bronze did wear the Triton scale, and I had this idea that it should trigger something. Ahahahaahaha—_whoops_.

Comments and reviews are appreciated, and a sequel might be in order. ...might be. Depends on the outcome of SSO. This version is still un-beta'ed, so if any of you readers are interested, I would be very grateful 3

**Disclaimer:** "Saint Seiya" is the work of Masami Kurumada. Its derivative works, including the movies, spin offs, games, and what-have-they belong to TOEI. I take no profit in the making of this somewhat absurd fanfiction. Title of this fanfiction is quoted from King Theoden, a character from "The Lord of The Rings", which is created by J. R. R. Tolkien.


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